Text: 하나를 알면 열을 안다

Translation:  You see one thing, and you know 10 things about them automatically.

Context: “My dad used this against me a lot growing up. I didn’t like it because I thought it really judged people too harshly too fast. I got it used for situations where my room was messy, and I was always told, “People are going to know right away you are lazy”. Growing up now, I think I can see it work sometimes but I still think it’s one of the harsher proverbs.”

Analysis: The Korean proverb, “You see one thing, you know ten things” is one that is used as advice to people, especially younger people. It’s like a parallel to the English proverb, “Don’t Judge a Book by its Cover”. Except this time, it’s telling you to judge immediately. It’s a harsher piece of advice for younger adults to be strict on how they look and that first impressions do matter immensely.